One Unexpected Day: A 1983 Doomsday Tale
by mdc1957
Summary: Away from the changing face of the post-apocalyptic world, the Alpine Nations share a quiet, peaceful day. But events take a strange turn when young Sopron reveals something involving Austria and Hungary. And with his love long gone, who would believe it
1. Part 1

Author's Notes and Disclaimer:

This is a follow-up to the other _Hetalia_/_1983: Doomsday_ crossover tales (the first part of two), which take place in a world after a nuclear apocalypse erupted in the 1980s (so far, through Austria's perspective). This one in particular takes place 16 years after _A New Meeting for Old Rivals_ and not too long after _A Symphony for a New World_, as life is going back to some semblance of normality even though things will never be back to what they were before the world almost ended. This is also where, as the story progresses, the reader gets to find out whether Austria really is imagining all this. As for pairings, there are strong hints pointing to AustriaxHungary and SwirtzerlandxLiechtenstein (though there _might_ be small hints of AustriaxSwitzerland), with possible references to Prussia and West Germany down the line. If there are any warnings, it could be implied character death and certain references to the previous fics.

As an aid, the Alpine Confederation is once more the union of Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein (the capital being at Vaduz), though with additional member territories around them. Sopron is a reference to both the real life Hungarian border city (which also used to be Austrian as well under the name Ödenburg) and the Survivor-Nation now living in Austria's protection. While the "uncle" line from Liechtenstein refers to her historic relationship to the Austro-Hungarian household before World War I.

As for some of the translations:

_Bitte_- Please (German)  
><em><em>Szerelem<em>_- Love (Hungarian)

Also, apologies for making some belated last-minute polishing. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

That said, I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did making this.

I don't own _Axis Powers Hetalia_ or _1983: Doomsday_. All rights belong to their respective owners.

* * *

><p><strong><em>One Unexpected Day<em>**

**_Or, A 1983 Doomsday Tale through a Nation's Eyes _**

Somewhere near Vaduz. 2010.

The hillside garden that formed part of Liechtenstein's house may have been overgrown at points, many shrubs, wildflowers and edelweiss sprouting where they shouldn't be. But overlooking the still picturesque Swiss Alps, it was tempting to act as though what happened in 1983 was nothing more than a dream. Nonetheless, for Austria and the Alpine siblings, it was quiet and secluded enough for a nice picnic. _And a good opportunity to let Julia have some recreation,_ the Nation thought as he tried to share Switzerland some of his _strudel_. Even now, it seemed as though Vash always needed a gun around his person at all times, which coupled with his brash personality captured the average Swiss mindset almost perfectly.

Sighing, the aristocrat turned his attention towards Lilli, with the embodiment of Sopron just behind her as they made their way back from what looked like an enjoyable stroll, if their smiles meant anything. The Nation had to consciously remind himself that the Alpine girl's pure and innocent facade, right down to her simple laced dress, betrayed the fact that as the heart of the Alpine Confederation, she had grown both stronger and physically older, appearing more womanly than adolescent. And though he sincerely considered them family, it also unnerved him somewhat seeing how the Principality's hands kept returning to hold her belly all too tenderly while looking at her brother in a _very_ un-sibling like manner. _Do you two really have to make your bonds literal?_

Fortunately, whatever discomfort Austria had faded away when Julia suddenly came over and caught him in a playful embrace. After managing something of a warm smile, he got up and gently patted her head. "Did you enjoy playing with your aunt?"

"Yes,_ Mr. Ausztria_!" the young girl in an old but colorful spring dress replied enthusiastically. "Who knew hide and seek can be so fun?" There seemed to be was a wide-eyed energetic glow about her, which seemed to give everyone hope for a promising future that, with Doomsday itself sliding further into history, was once again possible. Yet it also emphasized the long hair, eye color and lively determination of her late mother, as well as the fragile elegant frame more characteristic of Austria himself. Then again it shouldn't have been surprising, given how her titular city was also known as Ödenburg back when it was still at the crossroads of the two Nations.

_If only you could see her now, Elizaveta._ A sharp jolt hit the Nation, only to remember how it had only been a few months since he first met the child in that frontier cottage, wearing little more than second-hand rags unfitting for someone like her. How he tried his best to explain Sopron's heritage without smothering her with Hungary's. How he sought to raise her as his own daughter to the best of his ability, yet stopping short of having her call him "Father" or "Papa." How the Alpine siblings willingly welcomed her into the family not too long ago during a trip around the Confederation. _Even if they thought my story was mad..._

"That's...glad to hear, _Fraulein_," he finally managed to voice out with a smile.

The girl grinned in return, only for her face to suddenly frown, as though in deep thought. "Ah...I almost forgot!" she exclaimed. "There was this wonderful dream last night. I was on this wide plain full of horses. Mama was there! She said that God's willing to let her be our guardian angel. And...and..."

"Um...Julia?" Roderich found it harder to control himself, yet also anxious to have his young watch finish. "_Bitte,_ go on." If there was excitement, anticipation or any interest present in his voice, it was barely noticeable.

"Mama's coming over to visit us!" Sopron said beaming. "And she'll be able to see us more often from now on! Oh, I can't _wait _to see her!"

An awkward silence suddenly seemed to fall in the garden, the other Nations forcing themselves to act normal. Austria, shocked as he already was, watched with mounting though restrained concern as Liechtenstein whispered something to her brother's ear, all the while the young child was distracted by the pastries still on the mat.

"Can we have a walk with you?" he heard Switzerland mutter almost silently, though with clear irritation. "Right _now_?"

-o-

"Is there something you're not telling us?" the paranoid Swiss blond asked pointedly when they were far enough to talk safely, his face twitching in frustration. "Because I _strongly_ doubt that little girl knows anything about dead Nations and what have you. Does this have anything to do with your suicidal plans to resettle the Hungarian wastes?"

"_Nein_," Austria sighed, shaking his head ever so slightly as he shrugged off the implied insult. "I had nothing to do with that strange outburst. But surely, Julia deserves more than the pitiful scraps along the border. It's been almost 30 years. The situation must be safe enough to..."

"In case you haven't heard, Romano's Mafia goons are more of a priority than some irradiated death wish!" Switzerland snapped. "Besides, there was _nothing_ that could have been done, then _and_ now! Whichever way you put it, Hungary was already dead the moment those bombs went airborne! And if you were already divorced with that perverted Commie..."

"What _bruder_ wants to point out," Liechtenstein interrupted softly yet carefully as she tried to calm the other sibling down. "Is that as much as it pains us to lose those we love, we should never get too involved. We survived Doomsday not only because of neutrality but also due to this fact of life: for in the end, we only have ourselves to look after." She was clearly struggling to hold back something else by then, as though remembering her days with the Austro-Hungarian household. "And that...her mother will _never_ come back. The Empire's gone, Uncle. Sopron would learn those eventually. Even for _her_ sake, this charade has to stop!"

_She's only a child..._ Austria forced himself to exert almost every means of self-control he had to keep himself from breaking down. The Nation was certain of what he saw that night in the cottage. What he experienced. _What we promised...and it is completely insane to believe it. And yet...none of this is normal._ All he could let the Alpines see was a measured nod and biting of his lips. Finally, he managed to take a deep breath and a fake look of relief. "I guess Julia must be waiting. Shall we discuss this later?"

The Alpine siblings nodded silently before they all started to make their way back, Switzerland trying to give the aristocrat a concerned though painful pat on the shoulder. "There's a therapist in Zurich that I'd _strongly _recommend. Though honestly Roderich, you should have abandoned her when..."

All of a sudden, they heard what sounded like Sopron shouting. As they rushed in however, they found themselves staring as the young girl embraced an unnervingly familiar lady in an old, yet oddly pristine military uniform that seemed to radiate something too otherworldly to be alive. Then the figure looked up at them. There was a warm, playful yet inviting look on her face, a flower fitting snugly in her hair. For the siblings, it seemed as though they had seen a ghost. Yet for Austria, he knew exactly who she was especially as she gently bought the speechless Nation forward.

"_Mein Gott._ You..."

"Told you it's not the end, _Szerelem_," Hungary murmured with a wink before turning towards the other Alpines with a smile. "And my sincerest apologies for not telling you sooner."


	2. Part 2 and Epilogue

Author's Notes and Disclaimer (Belated Revision Update):

Here's the second and last part of the story, which went a bit longer than expected. Still, I tried to wrap things up for the Austria-Hungary angle as neatly as possible while keeping the future relatively open. Also, my apologies for making some edit and revisions to this part. After going through the other Doomsday-verse stories, there were certain points that had to be polished and changed. Still, I hope the final product is to your liking, dear readers.

As for pairing, apart from AustriaxHungary, there's a good deal of SwitzerlandxLiechtenstein, along with _possibly_ SwitzerlandxAustria, PrussiaxHungary and AustriaxPrussia. There_may_ also be a warning of implied off-screen sex as well.

As for some reference:

The Great War is the old name for World War I. It's also part of the reason why Liechtenstein was forced out of Austro-Hungarian "protection" (and on the verge of collapse/death) when it ended in 1918/19.

The "Polish Adventure" mentioned refers to the Doomsday!Prussian "reclamation" of Pomerania in 2006-7. And yes, Feliks survives, though not exactly sane.

Partium is the name of the Survivor-Nation in the eastern fringes of Hungary, under Transylvanian influence.

As for most of the translations:  
><em>Bitte<em> - Please (German)  
><em>Meine liebe<em> - "My love" (German)  
><em>Guten Morgen<em> - "Good morning" (German)  
><em>Ich liebe dich<em> - "I love you" (German)  
><em>Szerelem<em> - Love (Hungarian)  
><em>Ma még szeret<em>- "I still love you" (Hungarian)

Also, the Hungarian lyrics are taken from an actual lullaby/folk song which in English would be:

_All my dreams go back  
>Where my sweet country is<br>Green woods, flowery meadows  
>And stands my old, old country home<em>

_I know I shall return_  
><em>Return, return<em>  
><em>My wanderings will end<em>  
><em>I'll be there again<em>  
><em>In my beautiful country.<em>

That said, I hope you enjoy reading the stories as much as I did making them!

I don't own _Axis Powers Hetalia_ or _1983: Doomsday_. All rights belong to their respective owners.

* * *

><p><strong><em>One Unexpected Day<em>**

**_Or, A 1983 Doomsday Tale through a Nation's Eyes_**

Somewhere near Vaduz. 2010.

With the exception of Sopron, the Alpines found the whole affair utterly surreal as they tried to make sense of the realization that Hungary _herself_, who was supposed to be another casualty of Doomsday, was right in front of them, spending a tender moment with her daughter. Not that it bothered Austria in the slightest as he joined his old family, having longed for a moment like this ever since their marriage all those years ago. As the day wore on, however, the picnic went back to something resembling peace and calm, though with a haunting sense of nostalgia.

"So _Deutschland_ is doing well, _ja_?" Switzerland's sister asked the former Nation, a mix of fear and excitement in her otherwise soft voice. "Up _there _I mean?"

The Magyar chuckled as she took a sip from the glass, which seemed to make her more radiant if only for a second. "Yes dear. In fact, Ludwig's very eager to see his older brother again," she replied warmly, though a grimaced smirk crossed her face at the mention of Prussia. "It's a shame Gilbert's not here for the news, though. I still have a _lot_ of things to settle with that moron!"

_At least him not being here makes matters easier,_Roderich thought to himself, as much as he shared the sentiment. Holding his young Julia's hand, he looked on as the two female Nations were once more comfortably talking to each other, Elizaveta complementing Lilli on how much she'd grown while the other curiously asking her various questions under the sun. While both ladies chatted away, it seemed to the aristocrat as though the rifts that existed between them after the Great War, which brought about both their divorce and the Alpine's near brush with death, had faded away. But as much as he savored the sight, something continued gnawing in his mind that none of this was natural, despite his efforts to ignore it. Then all of a sudden, he felt Switzerland move closer toward him.

"What did you put in those pastries, Roderich?" he whispered harshly, clearly trying to make sense of what was happening. It caught the Nation's attention that the blond seemed to be clinging to his gun far too much for comfort. "If you thought dragging us all to your personal hallucination..."

"Are you really going to keep playing the critic?" the aristocrat shot back in a barely audible voice, careful not to startle Sopron. "The proof...my _wife _is right in front us right now."

"Listen to me, damn it! I won't play a part in this travesty any..."

"Please cut that out, Vash," Elizaveta sighed, sharply looking at the Swiss with a mischievous wink in her eyes and a frying pan magically on her right hand. "Unless you want me to find your private collections again."

Switzerland's face blushed profusely, as though recalling the last time she did that. But before Austria could even pretend to not laugh, he felt the now tired head of his young watch resting on his side. Gently, he tried to wake the girl up, only for Hungary to lift her up in a motherly cradle. It was only then that they noticed the sun setting, the soft lights coming Liechtenstein's house now visible.

"It's getting late. Perhaps we should head inside now?" he nodded towards the others. Then he turned towards Elizaveta, offering his free hand. "_Bitte, meine liebe._ Our house is yours as well."

-o-

_Minden vagyam visszaszall  
>Oda hol az edes hazam var<br>Zold erdo viragos ret  
>S all a regi regi hazam meg<em>

_Tudom egyszer visszeterek en_  
><em>Wissza meg, vissza meg<em>  
><em>Bujdosasom veget er<em>  
><em>S itt vagyok ujra<em>  
><em>Szep hazamban en...<em>

Austria listened as Hungary began singing an old lullaby from her people, while he gently placed the blanket on their drowsy Sopron. He had almost forgotten how wild, lively yet beautiful her voice was, even as it took on an almost ethereal tone. It seemed like a ghostly reminder of a land and time that he had intimately known. But while his mind fondly tried to recreate that lost world through the song, the same nagging thought kept ringing through his subconscious: _It's not natural...none of it is. But why? _As their daughter finally fell asleep with a smile on her face, and the couple left the guest bedroom to make their way across the hall, the aristocrat found it harder to keep a stoic facade. Even as they made light talk while passing through Switzerland and Liechtenstein's room, his old love whispering a few lewd comments about the siblings "playing house" far too well, he was praying that she didn't notice anything, as much as he appreciated the awkward distraction. It was only when they reached the door that she grasped his hand. _Nein._

"There's something wrong, isn't there _Szerelem_?" Elizaveta asked concerned, yet with a knowing nod. "You think this isn't normal. Dead Nations don't usually return to visit their loved ones. Especially that night in the cottage..."

Roderich felt his heart sink at that very moment as he tried to find the right words and realized exactly what had been truly gnawing inside him ever since Doomsday and that haunting day not long ago. With a deep breath the Austrian tried to steady himself. _There's no turning back._ "I missed you," he began guiltily. "And Rome notwithstanding, you are absolutely right, _Ungarn_. But I've been longing to ask you: why did you come back? Why go through all this?" The Nation strained to keep his voice level. He knew her as a free spirit, and even more so now. "It doesn't make any logical..."

"It doesn't have to, _Auztria._" she replied firmly. "Did you really believe that I would_force_ myself through all this, even asking God for this privilege? I _chose_ this path by my own will!" Her hands started to wrap around his as her voice took on a comforting yet mellow tone as they slid into the room, the door clicking shut behind them. "And I couldn't bear losing you or our daughter to grief. Our Empire may be gone from this world. Along with _myself._ But we can all move on, _together._" The once-Nation managed to give the same smile she made back during their wedding vows. "I'm not lying to you at all. Besides, I'm your guardian angel now."

With tears now freely flowing, Austria brought her into a deep kiss, savoring each passionate moment before reluctantly pulling away. "Till death do us part...to think it would be literal."

"There's still the afterlife, dear. But until then..."

"There are no regrets," he finished for her. "_Ich liebe dich._"

"_Ma még szeret_," she murmured, smiling as they moved closer. For a moment, it looked as though there were wings coming out from the back of her uniform. Not that it mattered anymore. "We have all the time in the world. In this one and the next."

That night, the wait to eternity no longer seemed to be lonely after all.

-o-

"Hey Roddi!" Prussia greeted loudly as he burst through the room, an irritated Austria trying to sit up and reach for his glasses. The bedside clock read 8:50 AM.

"You weren't due until later, _dummkopf_." A part of him, however, was still relieved to find that Gilbert was back to his boisterous, if more desperate self, especially since the sound beating inflicted by a _very _bi-polar Poland during those military adventures a few years earlier. That didn't stop the Nation from wishing that Vash's alarms had gone off.

"I thought I'd come over a bit earlier this time...hold up! Why the hell aren't you wearing anything?"

It was only then that the aristocrat realized that he had nothing on himself apart from the sheet just covering his dignity. _And last night...Mein Gott..._ Frantically the Nation turned to his side to find no one there. Most people, human or Nation, would let out a loud cry or go on some desperate, pitiful attempt to search the entire house. Instead, he let out a deep sigh, a frail though genuine trace of a smile crossing his face. _Until we meet again, my lady. _A few teardrops seemed to leave a mark on the bed before he finally turned to Prussia. "I was able to see her again yesterday. We all had a wonderful time."

"That must have been some dream, four-eyes," the albino shrugged, a rare look of serious concern crossing his face before a forced smugness quickly replaced it in an attempt to look comforting. "You know, it's not often that I see you butt naked. So how 'bout we d-" The sudden sound and force of a frying pan connecting to the albino's head cut off whatever intentions he had as he was flung to the other side of the room, to the Austrian's surprise. "_Scheiße_, woman! You..._UNGARN_?"

"Touch him again and you'll _really_ pay, Gilbert!" a red-faced Hungary snapped, her free hand clinging to the bath towel barely covering up her body. "Besides, I really don't like it when buffoons like _you_ barge in like that!"

"Um..._Guten Morgen,_ Elizaveta." Roderich gasped in a mix of shock and joy before a more familiar, composed tone took hold. "I thought you had to..."

"I've got a lot of time," she winked, turning towards the Nation with a soft grin. After giving her former husband a warm kiss, she put on a fresh country dress, apparently out of nowhere and proceeded to lift a still dazed and wincing Prussia from the ground, though not at all gently. "After all, I've got a surprise for all of us."

"Glad to see you too, undead pervert...wait, what the fuck did you just say?"

"Come now," she replied coyly. "Didn't you say you wanted to see Ludwig again?"

The comment caught both German Nations off-guard, only for them to remember their first meeting since Doomsday. A faint smirk entered Austria's face. _You really were always there... _"I see you've heard us in Linz. So when can we expect him?"

"Hold on, Roddi," Prussia cut in, his voice lined with both excitement and disbelief. "I take Hungary's some angelic ghost or whatever. But are you seriously buying that freaking West is heading here?"

"Germany should be here in an hour, tops," she nodded matter-of-factly, though holding the pan close to the albino's face. "Now, I suggest you get your lazy butt to the door while we freshen up. _Alright_?"

As soon as Gilbert left them along, the aristocrat proceeded to get off the bed, Elizaveta helping him find some suitable clothes to wear for the eventual party. As the Nation dressed, he thought of bringing Julia, as well as inviting the Alpine siblings or even Partium later on. As the sun continued rising outside the windows, he felt a sense that a bright new world was dawning before his eyes. And with the various Survivor-Nations making their presence felt, sooner or later his time would come. Nothing lasts forever, it had been said. But until that day, however, there was still a lifelong performance to conduct. And together with Hungary and their daughter, Austria was willing to see it through to the very end.

For a while, the couple smiled at each other before making their way out of the room. There was still a long, new day ahead, after all. _Let the symphony begin..._


End file.
